The Silvergrey Sea
Part One: A Little Excitement
A Special Guest at the Red Palazzo
* * *
“Another!” shouted Basil, his rough whiskey-slurred voice penetrating two walls loud enough for Josie to recognize it. Her grin, ever ready for her custom, bloomed spontaneously. A loud, but happy drunk he was and gentle with the ladies, too. He was also one of the best regulars at the Red Palazzo. The band, consisting of piano, snare drum, viola, began another raunchy tune the crowd knew well. Lyrics that would have been scandalous in most places filled the ground floor and spilled out the open windows, past Madame Josie Arlington’s shapely shoulder and ample bosom, and into the humid night. Her smile became husky laughter.
She had the wide veranda to herself this early in the evening. Leaning on one of the spiral-shaped hardwood pillars supporting the roof of the porch, Josie breathed deeply of the scented night air. The Spirya trees were in bloom, filling the air with their subtle scent. Overhead, red Faerie was high.
She fanned herself with a bit of stiff lace and waited for the man Harry had told her to expect. Harry Tranker was one of the few men who had earned a favour from the Lady of the Red Palazzo. When he’d asked her to give temporary shelter to one of his clients, she hadn’t felt able to refuse. Given the description she’d received, she didn’t feel inclined to. A man with a hanging scar had to have led an interesting life.
Josie was the Madame of the finest brothel in the city, a job she loved but not so much she didn’t still take the occasional client to her bed for pay. Harry was one of those. They had a history, those two. They’d both first arrived on Noir together from a world nowhere near as friendly, both wounded, both frightened. This little moon had given them succour and purpose.
The arrival of her guest disturbed Madame Josie’s reverie. Backlit by an urban illumination, a tall lean figure rounded the tree-lined, cobblestone path that curved in toward the sprawling four-storey pile behind her. There was no mistaking him, even in silhouette. He was graceful in his movements. The sheen of his hair highlighted by the yellow light of the lamp above; Madame found herself wondering what he looked like naked. Maybe she’d find out later.
Barely could Madame see her approaching guest now. He was passing through a pool of gloom. Cast in shadow again by streetlights, she saw his head tilt and his stride break for a second. He quickened his pace toward her, stepping into the oval of yellow light at the foot of the steps.
Josie’s salacious speculations about the stranger slid to a stop when she first saw his almond-shaped eyes. Something feral, like moonlight on naked fangs, sparked from them. The look lasted only seconds—then they were merely black.
He responded to her welcoming smile with a reserved hesitation.
She spared him the burden of initiating dialogue, “Good even, Cherie—” she began a languid descent—”I am Madame Josie. You must be our friend Harry’s client, Drago, yes?” Josie extended a hand to him, warming her smile.
He glanced at the hand briefly before taking it. Just for a second, that predatory flash in his eyes again, then he leaned to kiss it.
As he leaned forward, Drago turned her wrist. Josie expected a kiss on the palm, a subtle way of indicating sexual interest. Instead, she felt a stabbing pain.
He’d bitten her!
Drago was smiling, all innocence, as he released her hand. It faltered when he saw her expression. “Apologies, Madam.” His voice was higher than she’d expected, with a hint of an accent she couldn’t place. “It’s called the Serpent’s Kiss. I thought it familiar to this world.”
“What means it, Cherie?” Josie’s smile was genuine. It had startled her more than it had hurt. Marks of his teeth were on her wrist, but they’d fade quickly. Madame Arlington had certainly had rougher treatment in her time. The bite had been arousing in its way.
“Merely a flirt, Madam. This is a bawdy house, after all.” His smile was charming.
It pulled the laugh from her. “It is, indeed.” Lifting her silk skirts out of the way, Josie turned to one side, beckoning.
Together, they ascended and entered the Red Palazzo.
— Gideon Jagged
Innsmouth, September 2026
© Gideon Jagged
All Rights Reserved
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